Being Available When They Offer

I am fortunate to have created a life in which I can be available when my Fell Ponies offer something interesting.  One morning when I went out to bring the mares in, I realized the benefits of having this life.  Two of the four mares were sunbathing, and the other two were grazing nearby.  When the mares saw me, the lead and second mare, who had been napping but got up, started walking toward me to greet me.  When I got to the lead mare, who I planned to ride in, she was next to the mare still lying down. 

I greeted the lead mare then dropped the rope hackamore and knelt down to greet the recumbent pony.  She remained where she was as I scratched her withers, and I felt privileged as I always do when my ponies allow me to touch them when they’re lying down.  I pulled out my camera and succeeded in snapping the picture here.  Then I got up to return to the job at hand, bringing the mares into the barn. 

When I got up, I suddenly realized what the lead mare was offering me.  The other two ponies had begun to make their way to the barn, but the lead mare had stayed right there with me, as if looking forward to our ride in as much as I was.  I picked up the hackamore, tied it on her, and jumped on her back.  Two gifts from my ponies - the lead mare remaining and the recumbent pony allowing a photograph - made me appreciate again being available when my ponies offer.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2020

More stories like this one about my life with Fell Ponies can be found in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.